Total capacity of ethanol plants in operation increased by more than 600 million gallons per year or about four percent from 2016, with most of the increased capacity coming from the Midwestern states, which produce 14 billion gallons per year. The top three states—Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois—account for more than half of the nation’s total ethanol production capacity.

Actual production is running pretty close to nameplate capacity so far this year. According to the EIA data through June 23, ethanol production is still running just a little more than the million barrel per day mark, with an annualized rate of 15.36 billion gallons.